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US Catering Quote Calculator (2026): Food, Labor, Mileage, and Minimums for Small Operators

A practical 2026 catering quote calculator for U.S. small food businesses with formulas for food, labor, travel, overhead, and profit targets.

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Most catering losses happen before service starts.

The quote looked fine, the event was busy, the client was happy, but the real hourly return was weak because labor, travel, and overhead were underestimated.

If you run a small restaurant, bakery, or meal-prep kitchen, this calculator fixes that quickly.

Quick Summary

  • Build every quote from 5 cost buckets, not food cost alone
  • IRS 2026 business mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile and is a practical travel baseline
  • BLS median pay references help set a realistic labor floor before markup
  • Set a minimum spend so small events do not consume full-day effort for low return

The 5-bucket quote structure

Use the same structure for drop-off and full-service events:

  1. Food and beverage cost
  2. Labor cost (planning, prep, service, cleanup)
  3. Travel and transport
  4. Disposables/equipment/packaging
  5. Overhead allocation (admin, utilities, software, insurance)

Then apply target margin.

Quoted price = Total cost / (1 - Target margin)

Labor baseline without guesswork

As a starting benchmark, BLS reports:

  • Cooks median pay: $17.19/hour (May 2024)
  • Private household cooks median pay: $21.41/hour (May 2024)

Also, BLS compensation data for leisure and hospitality shows wages are only part of full employment cost, so many operators use a loaded internal rate above base wage.

Simple planning shortcut:

Loaded labor rate ~= Base wage / 0.817

Use your own payroll reality, but do not quote from base hourly pay alone.

Worked example: 60-person office lunch (drop-off)

Assumptions:

  • Food cost per person: $8.60
  • Labor hours total: 14
  • Loaded labor rate: $24/hour
  • Round trip distance: 36 miles
  • Disposables: $1.15 per person
  • Overhead allocation: 8% of direct cost
  • Target margin: 22%

Step 1) Direct costs

Food:

60 x $8.60 = $516.00

Labor:

14 x $24 = $336.00

Travel:

36 x $0.725 = $26.10

Disposables:

60 x $1.15 = $69.00

Direct subtotal:

$516 + $336 + $26.10 + $69 = $947.10

Step 2) Overhead allocation

$947.10 x 0.08 = $75.77

Total cost:

$947.10 + $75.77 = $1,022.87

Step 3) Quote with margin

$1,022.87 / (1 - 0.22) = $1,311.37

Quote range: $1,310-$1,350

Per person: about $21.85-$22.50

Minimum spend formula

Use this for small-headcount requests:

Minimum spend =
  (Fixed event labor + baseline travel + baseline admin/disposables)
  / (1 - Target margin)

If your fixed setup effort is high, minimums are not optional. They are protection against low-return jobs that block higher-value dates.

Community reality check

Operator discussions in food-service communities repeat the same warning:

  • “food cost x 3” without labor detail is risky
  • travel and setup are often undercharged
  • small events can take almost the same back-office time as bigger ones

The pattern is clear: quote systems fail when labor and logistics are treated as afterthoughts.

20-minute quote review routine

Before sending any quote:

  1. Update top 20 ingredient costs
  2. Time-stamp labor assumptions by task
  3. Calculate mileage from actual route
  4. Apply overhead consistently
  5. Check minimum spend before discounting

That routine prevents “busy but not profitable” catering days.

Checklist

  • Food, labor, travel, disposables, overhead all included
  • Loaded labor rate used (not base wage only)
  • Mileage cost included using internal policy
  • Minimum spend checked
  • Margin target applied to total cost

Sources (checked on 2026-02-14)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to quote a catering job without underpricing?

Build the quote from five buckets: food, labor, travel, disposables, and overhead. Then apply your target margin to the full cost, not food cost alone.

How should I price travel for catering in 2026?

Many operators use an internal mileage method. IRS guidance lists 72.5 cents per business mile for 2026, which is a useful baseline for planning.

Should labor be a separate line in catering quotes?

It should be in your internal math even if you present a bundled client price. Skipping labor in costing is the most common reason small jobs lose money.

Do I need a minimum spend for catering?

In most cases, yes. Small headcount events can still consume planning, shopping, and travel time, so a minimum protects your hourly economics.

How often should I update catering prices?

Review monthly and after major supplier changes, especially when protein, dairy, or disposable costs move quickly.

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